US 5,580,421 A · Apparatus for surface conditioning

Abstract

Apparatus and process for conditioning a substrate, contained in a hermetically sealed chamber fed with a conditioning gas which includes a reactive gas, the apparatus including a support for supporting the substrate in the chamber, the substrate being in a lower pressure reaction region of the chamber. A gas inlet is provided for feeding conditioning gas into a gas inlet region of the chamber which is at a higher pressure than the lower pressure reaction region so that the pressure differential causes the conditioning gas to flow toward the surface of the substrate wherein the conditioning gas component will chemically react with and condition the substrate surface, both said higher and lower pressure regions operating in a viscous flow regime. The substrate is supported such that a pressure bias is created across the surface of the substrate such that the gas, after it has chemically reacted with the substrate surface, flows radially outward from where it has reacted, toward the nearest edge of the substrate and out an exhaust outlet.

Claims36

Dependent claims

Apparatus for conditioning a substrate, contained in a hermetically sealed chamber fed with a conditioning gas comprising a reactive gas, comprising:

support means for supporting the substrate in the chamber;
first pressure bias means for establishing a first pressure bias in the chamber such that the substrate is in a second lower pressure portion of the chamber than a first gas inlet portion of the chamber, both said first and second chamber portions operating in a viscous flow regime;
gas inlet means for feeding conditioning gas into the gas inlet portion of the chamber so that the pressure differential causes the conditioning gas to flow toward the surface of the substrate wherein the reactive gas component thereof will chemically react with and condition the substrate surface;
second pressure bias means for creating a second pressure bias across the surface of the substrate such that the conditioning gas, after it has chemically reacted with the substrate surface, flows radially outward from where it has reacted, toward the nearest edge of the substrate, and
exhaust means for exhausting gas from the chamber.

2 more elements

A process for conditioning a substrate, contained in a hermetically sealed chamber fed with a conditioning gas comprising a reactive gas, comprising:

supporting the substrate in the chamber;
establishing a first pressure bias in the chamber such that the substrate is in a second lower pressure portion of the chamber than a first gas inlet portion of the chamber, both said first and second chamber portions operating in a viscous flow regime;
feeding said conditioning gas into the gas inlet portion of the chamber so that the pressure differential causes the conditioning gas to flow toward the surface of the substrate wherein the reactive gas component thereof will chemically react with and condition the substrate surface;
creating a second pressure bias across the surface of the substrate such that the conditioning gas, after it has chemically reacted with the substrate surface, flows radially outward from where it has reacted, toward the nearest edge of the substrate, and
exhausting gas from the chamber.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for surface conditioning

Life of this patent

Apparatus for surface conditioning

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims36